- What is happening now in Israel? And in the Occupied Territories? What future lies ahead? Meretz UK invites you to listen to experts and ask these and related questions, at….
- The Crisis of Israeli Democracy and the Palestinian Occupation – Reporting from the Field
- With former Israeli Ambassador to South Africa, Alon Liel, and Palestinian Minister, Ashraf Al-Ajrami
- Their conversation is on Mon, 13 March 2023, 18:30 – 20:30 GMT
- At JW3, 341-351 Finchley Road London NW3 6ET; and also on Facebook Live
- Liel and Al-Ajrami are currently in London as part of a five-strong Israeli-Palestinian delegation; short biographies follow below
Biographies of Speakers
Ashraf Al-Ajrami
Born in 1961, Al-Ajrami is Director of Damour Company for Community Development. He also heads the Damour Advocacy team, which seeks to increase the resilience of deprived Palestinian communities, enhance practical community, industrial and environmental projects, and build a just peace.
Former Ministe for Prisoners Affairs in the Palestinian Authority (PA) from 2007 until 2009, he was also former Direcctor of Israel Affairs at the PA Information Ministry, and was imprisoned by Israel in 1984-96.
He has written for Al-Ayyam daily newspaper in Ramallah from 1996 to the present. A trainer in media and journalism, and also in human rights, democracy, tolerance and good governance, Al-Ajrami is a former lecturer in media and public relations, Al-Azhar University, Gaza (2004-6); and the author of a book on religion and human rights. In addition, he was the director of Palestine House in Tel Aviv, a bold initiative to introduce Israelis to the realities of the culture, art, history and lifestyle of their Palestinian neighbours.
Ambassador (ret.) Dr Alon Liel
Alon Liel is a founder member of the Israeli Policy Working Group (PWG) – a network of Israeli senior academics, human rights defenders and former diplomats engaged. The PWG is engaged in international advocacy to achieve a resolution fo the Israeli-Palestinian conflict based on a two-state solution. Liel is also a founder of J-Link, an international network of progressive Jewish organisations.
In addition, Liel, who was born in Tel Aviv in 1948, co-founded in 2022 a ground-breaking Jewish-Arab political party, All Its Citizens (in Hebrew, Kol Ezrahe’ah; in Arabic, Kul Muwatineeha) – so named in reference to Isael’s Declaration of Indpendence, and based on the concept of equal rights for all in Israel.
A retired ambassador, Liel’s past assignments incuded: Director General (equivalent to permanent secretary) of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs; DG as well of the Minister of Economy and Planning; Ambassador to South Africa; Consul-General for Israel in the southeastern United States; Foreign Ministry spokesman; and Head of Mission, Ankara, Turkey.
Liel is was a lecturer in International Relations and Conflict Resolution between 2000 and 2022. He holds a PhD in International Relations from the Hebrew University, Jerusalem. A critic of shortcomings in Israeli democracy, he has stated that Israel has betrayed the West over Ukraine. He is the author of several books on South Africa and Turkey, including “Equalizer – South Africa is Building a Nation”, and “Turkish-Israel Relations, 1949-2010″.
Others in the delegation
Susie Becher
Suzie Becher is Communications Director of the Policy Working Group (see more under Liel biography). She was among the founding members of All Its Citizens, an Arab-Jewish party established in 2022. Ms Becher is also Managing Editor of the Palestine-Israel Journal, a joint quarterly publication that analyses and addresses key Israel-Palestinian issues from the perspective of both sides.
She serves on the steering community of Zulat, an activist thinktank founded by former Knesset member, and twice Meretz Party leader, Zehava Galon. Zuhat advocates for human rights and equality in Israel. Ms Becher publishes a blog on the Times of Israel website. She was a founding member of the Shahatr (Peace, Education and Social Welfare) Movement established by former Israeli Justice Minister Yossi Beilin. After Shahar merged with Meretz, she was elected to the Meretz General Assembly and served on the prty’s national executive from 2003 to 2020.
Susie Becher emigrated to Israel from Canada in 1975. After receiving a BA in European History and English Literature, she worked in the US Embassy in Tel Aviv from 1984 to 2018 as an editor and later social manager of the embassy’s media department.
Ambassador (ret.) Ilan Baruch
Ilan Baruch chairs the Policy Working Group (for more, see Dr Alon Liel biography, above). PWG members are all volunteers and come from senior diplomatic, academic, political, media and human rights backgrounds.
In 2011 Ambassador Baruch retired from the Israeli Foreign Ministry on grounds of principle after a 36-year diplomatic career. He cited Israel’s departure from its decade-long commitment to the two-state solution. Baruch’s last posting overseas was as Ambassador of Israel to South Africa (2005-8) and to Namibia, Botswana and Zimbabwe.
In the Israeli Foreign Ministry, he was founder/ director of the Palestinian Authority Autonomy Department, hed of the Multilateral Peace Process Coordination, and a member of the Israeli delegation to the interim Oslo Peace Accords negotiations.
Barch served as policy adviser to the Meretz party chair and was co-founder/ director of Palestine House in Tel Aviv, a cultual start-up designed to enhance awareness in Israel of Palestinian arts and culture, academia and lifestyle. He is also an editorial board of the Palestine-Israel Journal, and member of the board of Zulat, a pro-equality and human rights Israeli NGO. Baruch occasionally contributes op-eds in Israel and abroad. In June 2020 he participated in a memorable meeting hosted by Meretz UK which included Palestinian ambassador to the UK, Dr Hossam Zomlot.
Gabriella Saven
Gabriella Saven is a member of the coordinating Committee of J-Link, and of the International Progressive Jewish Network. She is the outgoing Executive Director of the Jewish Democratic Initiative, an educational and advocacy movement of South African Jews working to promote democracy within that community, in Israel-Palestine, and also in South African society at large.
She is currently a masters degree postgrad student undertaking her MSc in Security Studies at University College, London. She completed an undergraduate degree in Law and Political Science, and an honours degree in Development Studies, both fron the University of Cape Town.
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